On April 18, 1938, Superman made his first appearance in Action Comics No. 1. Just in time for his 75th birthday, we have the new trailer for Man of Steel (2013), which has me excited about the upcoming Superman movie. The trailer shows young Clark Kent struggling to find his identity, beginning with the young child being held by his Krypton father Jor-el played by Russell Crowe and talking to his earthly father played by Kevin Costner.
With Henry Cavill as the adult Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Michael Shannon as General Zod, the new Zach Snyder film shows a lot of promise for the franchise that has not had a great film since the last time we saw Superman battle General Zod in Superman IIin 1980. Check out the trailer.
Man of Steel comes to your local theater on June 14.
What is your favorite Superman film? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In 1960, music stars Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were riding in a cab that crashed, resulting in 21-year-old Cochran’s death.
On April 17, 1960, early rock-and-roll stars Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were in a car crash that resulted in Cochran’s death. Cochran — who had hits with songs like “C’mon Everybody,” “Somethin’ Else,” and “Summertime Blues” — was only 21.
Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were taking a cab from a show in Bristol, England to the airport when the taxi, traveling at more than 60 mph through a dark and winding road, crashed into a light post. Cochran was thrown through a window and died at the hospital from a head injury. Vincent survived but sustained a broken leg and walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
Cochran’s girlfriend Sharon Sheeley, who was also in the car, survived, reportedly because Cochran had thrown himself on top of her to protect her. Sheeley was a songwriter and wrote songs such as Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool.” She continued to write songs after the crash, and she passed away in 2002.
Gene Vincent passed away in 1971. Along with the Minnesota-born Cochran, the two young rock and roll stars exerted a strong influence on the British rock scene.
Both Vincent and Cochran helped bring together John Lennon and Paul McCarney. John Lennon was playing Gene Vincent’s “Be Bop A Lula” at a 1957 garden party where he met Paul McCartney. McCartney immediately found a connection through the song with Lennon, as his first record purchase had been of that song. And later that afternoon, the two future Beatles got together and McCartney taught Lennon to play Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock.”
In this video, Eddie Cochran performed on the Town Hall Party TV show on February 7, 1959. This performance took place not long after Cochran had lost two of his friends, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly in a tragic plane crash. And it was only a little more than a year before his own death.
What is your favorite Eddie Cochran song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
April 15 is tax day, but it is also the birthday of great blues singer Bessie Smith, who was born April 15, 1894. Chimesfreedom has previously discussed Smith and her performance of “St. Louis Blues,” so today we consider a song about her that was written by Rick Danko and Robbie Robertson of The Band.
In “Bessie Smith,” the singer describes a trip to see Smith. It appears the singer is in love with her, but he questions whether or not the love is based on the way she could sing.
Now in my day I’ve made some foolish moves; But back then, I didn’t worry ’bout a thing; And now again I still wonder to myself; Was it her sweet love or the way that she could sing?
Apparently, time has passed since the singer last saw his love. And he wonders how she will react when she sees him again (“When she sees me will she know what I’ve been through? / Will old times start to feelin’ like new?”). We first heard the song when it came out on The Basement Tapes made by The Band and Bob Dylan, although only The Band plays on the song and there is some debate about when the song was actually written and recorded. (Update: Unfortunately, the Band’s version of “Bessie Smith” is no longer available on YouTube.)
In a thorough discussion of the history of the song, Peter Viney quotes one of Danko’s obituaries describing “Bessie Smith” as “a sepia-styled valentine to the fine line between respect and adoration, and the ways in which music blurs them both into love.” Viney also raises the possibility that the song is about an “appointment with death,” because by the time it was written and recorded, Bessie Smith had been dead for decades.
Several artists have covered “Bessie Smith,” including Ray Lamontagne and Joe Henry. Norah Jones performs a nice cover of “Bessie Smith” in this video. Check it out.
Bessie Smith died from injuries from a car accident in 1937, just as she was starting a comeback. Although The Band’s song about her was not done in her style of singing, The Band was well aware of the history of American music, and “Bessie Smith” was a nice tribute to an important American singer. And so it is our birthday tribute too. What is your favorite Bessie Smith song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In 1969, Jim Morrison of The Doors discussed how he gained weight when he started college in this interview with Howard Smith of the Village Voice. Check out where Morrison explains why “fat is beautiful.”
The PBS web series Blank on Blank made the above section of the Smith interview available recently. Patrick Smith did the cool animation.
Did you have a similar experience in college? Leave your two cents in the comments.
